Swooping Research Facility Perches Right Over Steel Recycling Plant It Studies

This crazy-looking design perched above a burgeoning junk yard in Sun Valley, California is actually a place of learning! Few things are more wasteful than steel and other car parts from wrecked or old vehicles that land up in junk yards around the country. Pick Your Part in Los Angeles County recycles these parts, a service that Jan Lim believes deserves its very own on-site research institute.

By 2050, there will be one billion cars plying Americas roads, many of which will land up in the dump. This design gives students and the public an opportunity to learn more about recycling methods and technology. Perched 4 x higher than the pile of junk parts expected to grow on this site, the American Institute of Steel Reclamation promotes the best in metal recycling initiatives.

The building itself features air handling, ventilation pipes, an operable skin and natural air intake in order to make a potentially uncomfortable study zone less so. It is also bent around an existing vehicle crusher/compactor, giving students and the general public an up-close and personal experience of the recycling process. Jan Lim won the 2008-2009 ACSA/AISC steel design student competition for this visually-intriguing proposal.